Does Your Mother Know?
by Shade Penn
Summary: OGR AU. What if even before school started the Serpent really liked to mess with Lee? FemLee/The Serpent. Incest. Slow Build.


Lee wiped her brow as she walked along the pavement from her hair appointment. She realized what a testament to how much leniency her parents gave her to walk back and forth from these things it was. In one hand she held a bag of newly bought clothing, to help disguise her female frame as attracting the attention of boys was out, like it always was.

Her parents valued her brains more than her looks, and they encouragingly went along with her idea to wear clothes that made it hard to tell whether or not she was a girl, since her name wasn't exactly a great indicator of her gender either. Still, as much as the mistaken pronouns irked her, she knew what she was in for when she decided to do this and opt for the tomboy wear than the kind of clothes Tina wore. She just really wasn't a skirt kind of girl; now, if those skirts had _pants_ she would consider it, but…

As she walked across the street, she heard a sharp honk and jumped back toward the sidewalk as a man on a motorcycle nearly ran into her. Or was that the other way around? Either way, the man hit the brakes and slid to a stop, his helmet covering his expression as he stared at Lee, but she could easily imagine a glare on his face.

"Sorry!" Lee rushed out. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"That was fairly obvious," the man said, an accent to his words that Lee found familiar, but his voice was unknown to her, "you should really watch your step next time."

Lee nodded rapidly, her heart rate decreasing to a normal level as she stared back at the man, feeling nervous. What now? What did she say to the guy who almost ran her over because she wasn't paying attention? Her parents were going to have a fit if they found out about this and she'd never have the last two weeks before school to herself. "Uh, nice jacket." She blurted, but blushed as she realized how lame that was. "I mean: sorry." She apologized again. "I swear I'll never do that again."

The man giggled, and it startled Lee with how oddly high-pitched it sounded. "See that you do. There are enough traffic accidents without absent-minded teenagers J-walking to add to it. If you hadn't jumped back, you would have gone _splat_, and then where would _I_ be?"

Lee continued to stare at him, her eyes wide with morbid curiosity. "Yeah, I guess I see your point." She said and loosened the death grip she'd had on her bag. "Um, I should-"

"I like your tattoo." The man said abruptly.

Lee blinked before sneezing into her collar as there was a funny smell coming from the man. "Excuse me?" Where had that come from?

The man straightened out his jacket. "You like this old thing; I like your tattoo: where'd you get it?"

Lee glanced down at her arm, where the trigram band went around her upper arm. It was a question even she didn't have the answer too. "Oh, just a joke, one of my friends dared me to get it." She said as it sounded likelier than saying it was a weird kind of birthmark.

"Does your mother know?" The man asked, his tone sounding almost mocking.

Lee's expression scrunched up. Just who did this guy think he was? Yeah, he'd kinda saved her life with the honk, but what kind of question was that? Looking for an excuse to end this bizarre conversation, Lee glanced up at the street car at the corner like she'd been waiting for it. "Oh, there's my ride, I'd better go!" she said and took off, just making it to the vehicle and sat down on one of the seats with an exhausted breath.

How had things gotten so weird so quickly?

* * *

When Lee returned home, she decided it was best not to tell her parents about the whole ordeal, but it didn't stop her from contacting Tina on her computer. "Hey Tina." She greeted when her friend appeared.

"Hi, Lee, new hair cut?" Tina asked knowingly.

Lee nodded. "In two weeks school starts; can't go back there with them thinking I'm some kind of nerd with a nerdy haircut."

Tina snickered into her palm. "You _are_ some kind of nerd though."

Lee huffed, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Thanks. That makes me feel so much better about myself."

Tina playfully raised her hands in surrender. "Easy, I was just kidding."

"Oh, I knew you were kidding; I was just messing with you too." Lee replied smirking, but then her features grew serious. "Something happened; I almost got run over."

Tina gasped as her eyes widened and she quickly looked over Lee's form. "Are you okay? Do your parents know?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Shaken, but fine." Lee replied. "The guy that almost hit me honked his horn and I jumped out of the way."

Tina looked furious. "How could he do that?" she demanded. "Didn't he watch where he was going?"

"Actually," Lee said and felt her face heat, "_I_ was the one who didn't watch where they were going. I'd be in the hospital right now if he hadn't warned me."

All of Tina's anger drained from her face, going pale briefly before the color returned, and she turned her fury on Lee. "Then how could _you_ not watch where you were going? Did you forget all the PSAs they had in school about this kind of thing?"

'_The PSA, and parents, also said not to talk to strangers, yet I had almost a whole conversation with a very strange man.'_ Lee thought, but omitted saying anything about it. There was no need to make this into something it wasn't. Her parents were strict enough with her as it was, and they wouldn't trust her to leave the house alone again if they found out about this. "Can you _not_ tell my parents about this? I don't want them freaking, or I'll never leave the house."

"You barely do anyway." Tina retorted, but as Lee stared at her pleadingly, she sighed. "Fine, it'll remain between us, but if I find out this is affecting you in some psychological manner, I'm telling your parents."

"Don't worry, you won't." Lee replied and smiled slightly. "You free tomorrow? I thought you, Cam, and I could go see a movie. You know, enjoy the summer while it lasts."

"That usually entails being active instead of sitting in a dark theatre, or did you forget that?" Tina asked, but shook her head. "I can't, gotta babysit my sister while my parents are going away for some seminar for the day."

"Too bad." Lee replied. "Well, maybe Cam will go." She said hopefully and Tina shrugged. "I'll talk to you later then."

"Bye, Lee." Tina said and her screen disappeared, leaving Lee alone with her thoughts.

Would Cam say no too? She wouldn't know unless she asked, and that included telling her parents about her plans for tomorrow. Perhaps it was best to ask them before she settled on anything. Lee made her way down stairs to the living room where her parents were watching television. "Mom, Dad?"

"Daughter?"

Lee grinned slightly at the dry tone her father used. "I was wondering if I could go to the movie tomorrow with my friends."

Her parents exchanged a look, and it made Lee want to fidget. They didn't have a problem with Tina, but Cam was a different story. Cam was a boy, but they let the friendship continue because half the time Cam honestly seemed to think Lee was male as well, and it took a gentle reminder to let him know Lee was a girl instead.

"Why not? Go be a kid." Alfred said finally.

Lee wanted to jump for joy, but her mother spoke up next. "But," Sue said sharply, "you will have to finish your chores, understood?"

Thinking this was a small price to pay for hanging out with Cam, Lee nodded. "I understand." She said and hurried back up to her room to check the list of what she needed to do for the all clear.

* * *

Lee leaned unsurely against the outside of the movie theatre, looking up at the movies playing instead of making it seem like she'd just been ditched.

"_Sorry, bro,"_ Cam had said apologetically, "_mom's grounded me 'cause I threw a shoe at Angelina."_

"Really, Cam?" Lee had questioned flatly, but her friend's voice went defensive.

"_Hey, you try having her for a little sister and then we'll see how long your patience lasts."_ He said and his mother yelled for him to get off the phone. "_Anyway, I gotta bail, bro. Maybe some other time, but at least this way you get to spend time with Tina."_

Dejectedly, Lee thought of what she could do, as returning home only after a few minutes out would no doubt raise her parents' suspicions. The money in her pocket felt heavy as she remembered her mother asked her to bring back some groceries after her movie was done.

'_I guess I can just spend my time wandering around the grocery store._' Lee thought and took a street car to the nearest super market. '_Still,'_ she thought as she sat down in an empty seat, _'I'm so not looking forward to spending it alone with my thoughts.'_

Leaning on her knees, Lee took the list out of her pocket and glanced over it just for something to do. It left her feeling worse off than before, knowing that the highlight of her day was going to be grocery shopping. Although, Ruby liked Lee well enough, so maybe she could hang out with Tina at her house?

Suddenly thinking that perhaps she wouldn't be stuck with boredom afterwards, Lee put the list into her pocket, and waited until she arrived at the supermarket before making her way inside. She grabbed a basket after deeming that there wasn't much she needed to get on the list.

Trailing down the vegetable aisles full of fresh produce, Lee attempted to discern how many her mother would want. _'Should I guess?'_

"Excuse me?"

Lee's eyes widened, recognizing the accented voice from the previous day. She whirled around, but could see no one she recognized. "Huh?"

"I'm over here."

Lee glanced to the side, blinking in surprise as she saw the man from yesterday, holding a store basket and he had black hair with a blue streak in it. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Are you following me?"

"Why would follow you when I am also getting groceries?" The man questioned as he gestured to the basket.

Lee flushed, seeing his point. "Um, you wanted to ask me something?"

"Yes," the man said and picked up a tomato from the stand behind him, "does this look ripe to you?"

Lee couldn't help but raise her brow. "Haven't you done this before?" she questioned surprised.

"Actually, no." The man said looking nonchalant about it. "I usually have someone else do it for me, but they're taking a sick day."

Lee began to piece it together slowly. Either he was trying to be impressive, or he really did have someone do it for him. With how expensive his motorcycle looked, and not to mention his jacket, it looked like it was the latter option. Lee's nose became irritated with the smell he was still emitting and she found a handkerchief in front of her. Not being too picky at the moment, and not wanting to sneeze into her collar again, Lee took the garment and sneezed into it. "Ugh, if you're so rich to have people do things for you, why couldn't better cologne have been an option?"

The man's lips twisted into a wry grin. "I believe the words that you're looking for are 'thank you.' That's the second time I saved you now."

Lee blushed again, basket hanging on her arm as she buried her face in the cloth before looking up. "Yes, well, thanks." She muttered.

The man's grin widened. "What? I can't hear you."

Lee flushed brighter, but scowled at him for making her so flustered. "Here's your handkerchief back."

"Keep it," the man said holding up a hand, "it's not like I can take it back after you've used it."

Lee's scowl deepened at his mocking smile, but she had to admit that it was a nice cloth and she could keep it just to spite him. "Fine then, I will. You really should get better cologne though, you smell like rotten eggs."

The man raised a brow. "Really? No one else seems to mind."

Lee glanced around, the words not holding much weight since there was no one around. "That's because your stink probably chased them away."

The man's giggle startled Lee once more, as it was such a strange sound to her. "Funny fellow, aren't you?" he asked narrowing his eyes.

Lee made no attempt to correct him, as while he did save her life-sorta-she still didn't _know_ him. The thought was jarring as she was actually starting to become relaxed, and that could be dangerous. "I need to go."

"Wait, what about my question?" The man asked.

Lee blinked, having forgotten why he wanted to talk to her in the first place. _'Focus, Lee, you're starting to lose it._' She thought to herself. "Oh, just ask one of the employees, I'm sure they'll help you. I really have to go." She rushed out and took off for the canned food aisle, deciding on going back to the produce later.

Flustered, Lee grip the handkerchief in her pocket and thought whether keeping it was such a good idea now. Shrugging off the thought, Lee hurried for the soup cans.

* * *

When Lee cautiously walked down the produce aisle after what felt like a suitable enough amount of time had passed, she quickly grabbed what she thought was the correct number of tomatoes, apples, pears, and a stalk full of celery, setting them down beside the milk, eggs, and bread loaf already in the basket, which had begun to feel heavy.

It made her regret not getting a cart, but there was no time to dwell on that, Lee thought as she made her way toward the check-out line. She took the express lane and reached inside her pocket for the money she needed, but only to discover her wallet was gone, and the amount she'd taken for popcorn and movie tickets wouldn't be enough to pay for it all.

"I…I must have dropped my wallet somewhere." Lee said and frantically griped her hair.

Her panic was short-lived as a hand reached out into her line of vision, wallet opened with her student I.D. "Is this yours?"

Lee's relief was overridden with agitation. Of all the people who could have found her wallet, why did it have to be _him_? Still, she plastered a strained smile on her face as she looked at the man, taking her wallet back. "Thank you, where'd you find it?"

"Oh, in the dairy aisle, I hope you don't mind that I opened it, how else was I supposed to know who it belonged to?" The man questioned.

Lee let the cashier begin ringing up the items as she clutched the wallet tightly to her chest, feeling a mixture of gratitude and suspicion. Why did he always show up like this? Was he following her? Sure, he'd offered an alternative reason for being at the supermarket, but she still couldn't shake the creeping feeling along her spine as he stared at her. "Uh, thanks, my mother would kill me if I lost this."

"Does she know you lose it often then?" The man asked with that same mocking tone which made Lee's previous anxiety turn to exasperation.

"That's really none of your business." She retorted.

"Don't I get a minute of your time?" The man asked. "Three times the charm," he said winking at her, "right, Lee?"

The redhead froze. "How do you know my name?"

"It was on your I.D." The man replied calmly. "I figured if I had to keep running into you, I thought I should know your name."

"That's pretty arrogant of you to presume." Lee pointed out. "Especially since I don't know _your_ name, Mr.…."

"You may call me the Serpent, everyone else does." The man replied with a sly grin.

Lee felt frustrated with the answer. "That's not a real name, you know."

Her exasperation only served to make him seem even smugger. "Oh, I know you wanted my real name, but that's not something I give out to just anyone."

"That's not fair, you know _my_ name." Lee retorted.

"Then you shouldn't have lost your wallet." The Serpent replied with a smirk, causing Lee to scowl at him again before she had to pay the cashier.

Stubbornly trying to ignore him, Lee gathered up her groceries and walked outside, only then taking notice that the Serpent had no bags with him. "Hey, didn't you come here to get groceries?"

The Serpent raised a brow. "Yeah, so?" he asked and blinked. "Oh," he said shrugging, "I decided that this wasn't for me, so I'm going to have the shopping done for me again."

"Yes, it must be so nice to have people who do that for you." Lee said flatly and could feel the bags digging into her hands, while her eyes searched out a street car to save her again.

"Do you need a lift?" The Serpent questioned and Lee looked back at him to see him gesturing at the motorcycle parked on the curb.

"Sorry, I'm not supposed to accept rides from strangers," Lee replied, "if fact, I shouldn't even be talking to you."

"And yet you are." The Serpent pointed out.

Lee flushed. "Only because _you_ keep running into me."

The man placed a hand on his chest, looking offended. "Me? How do I know it isn't _you_ who keeps running into me?" he questioned and smirked. "Bye the way, walk headlong into traffic lately?"

Lee glared at him, huffed, and marched her way down toward the street car that had pulled up at the corner. She paused before getting on it, and glanced back to find the Serpent still standing by his motorcycle, arms crossed like he was challenging her, and brow raised with that mocking smile on his face.

Lee flushed as she turned away and went to find an empty seat.

* * *

After helping put the groceries away, and handing any leftover change back to her mother, Lee went up to her room, checking through her wallet to make sure that the Serpent didn't make like a snake and steal anything. Lee found nothing missing as she went into her room, but she did find a slip of folded paper in the side flap with a phone number written on it.

Lee scowled, wanting to just rip up the paper, but curiosity won out. It was written on _something_ after all. Unfolding the paper, Lee found it was an advertisement to a downtown casino called the Hydra. '_Is he trying to tell me something?_' she thought, but as her experience with boys was limited to Cam and Holger, who was currently back in his home country for the summer, she quickly called Tina up.

"_Hey, Lee."_ Tina said sounding tired.

Lee winced, knowing that for someone so small, Ruby could be quite a handful. "You didn't give Ruby sugar did you? You know how she gets."

"_I thought a couple scoops of frosted flakes wouldn't hurt; now she's crashed out on the couch, and I have to clean up her mess."_ Tina explained sullenly. "_But enough about that, what's up?"_

"I, uh, a guy gave me his phone number." Lee said awkwardly, and boy did that sound weird.

Tina was silent for a moment. _"Does he know you're a girl?"_

"Actually, I don't think so; he called me a 'fellow'." Lee replied. "And the number was written on an ad for a casino, what do you think it means?"

"_It sounds like he wants you to call him first off," _Tina said, "_and second, you should probably do that if he does think you're a boy. No one's going to be happy if he thinks you're a guy and he finds out you're not later; plus, don't your parents have that no dating until you're like, ancient rule?"_

"It's…rather blurry." Lee said sheepishly, as she had honestly forgotten the age her parents said she could date at. "You do have a point though; I should let this guy know about me. Thanks, Tina, later."

"_Later_." Tina replied and the call disconnected.

Lee cleared the line and called up the number written down on the paper. She couldn't believe she was actually doing this; why _was_ she even considering this? Right, 'cause the guy was starting to creep her out and this was really going to be her telling him to back off.

"_Hello?"_

"Serpent." Lee growled.

The man giggled on the other line. _"I take it you found my little gift? It didn't take long for you to call; want to see me that badly?"_

Lee grinded her teeth, but kept her temper in check. "Actually, I want to know if you think I'm a boy."

"_Of course I don't."_ The Serpent replied flippantly.

"But you called me a guy! Were you just messing with me?" Lee demanded.

"_You _let_ people call you a guy, do you like messing with _them_?"_ The Serpent shot back.

Lee was silent for a moment, but decided this wasn't the time or the person to talk with this about. "Don't try to change the subject. Who do you think you are, anyway?"

"_Me? I'm the one who so generously gave you my phone number."_ The Serpent replied and 'tsk'ed at her. "_It sounds like you don't want to see me after all, such a shame."_

Lee frowned at his tone. He was actually trying to make this sound like it was _her_ fault? "Listen you; I don't know who you are."

"_Would you like to find out?"_ The Serpent questioned slyly and Lee was momentarily speechless. "_Come to the casino, you know the one, and you won't regret it."_

"I'm not even old enough." Lee protested.

"_Let's just say I have an 'in' with the owner."_ The Serpent said giggling at some private joke.

Though she felt weirded out by him, he obviously wasn't going to back off by just a phone call. Besides, she wouldn't even be allowed inside. "Fine, but then will you leave me alone?"

"_Sure, see you soon."_

Lee heard the line go dead, and scowled down at her phone, wondering whether that really happened. It sounded detrimental and stupid in hindsight; leaving her alone in exchange for a private meeting? It had all kinds of creepy in it, and she wanted to bang her head against the wall.

Sighing, Lee decided she could either tell her parents the truth, but that would mean being grounded and supervised for who-knew-how-long. Still, it didn't mean that she'd be doing this without taking precautions. Dialing up Tina again, Lee hoped her friend wouldn't rat her out. "Tina, listen, I need your help."

"_With what?"_ Tina asked.

"It's the guy who gave me his number, he wants me to meet him, and in...Half-hour, I want you to call me, okay?" Lee asked.

"_Are you really sure it's…_wise_ to go meet with someone you don't even know?" _Tina questioned.

"No, it's not." Lee replied honestly. "But that's why I want you to call me; I'm not an idiot after all."

"_Have you told your parents?"_ Tina asked, and Lee remained silent, causing Tina to sigh. _"You do realize that this could end badly, right?"_

"I know this is stupid, but I just can't let this go on." Lee replied. "_Please_, just don't say anything? If I don't pick up, I swear you can call my parents."

Tina sighed again, this time in a long-suffering way. _"I can't believe I'm actually agreeing to this, but you'd better pick up."_

"Thanks, Tina, I so owe you." Lee replied and disconnected the call before going downstairs and grabbed her skateboard. "I'm going to the skate park; I'll try not to be home late."

"I wish you wouldn't use that thing, it's dangerous." Sue said disapprovingly as Lee ran by the living room. "Be back for dinner!" she called as Lee grabbed her skateboard and went out the door.

"I will!" Lee called back and shut the door. She took out her phone and checked for the co-ordinates to the Hydra. It would definitely be quicker if she took the street car, which was why she took her skateboard for show. She liked skateboarding as a hobby, but she wasn't about to go long distance on it just yet.

Making her way toward a pick-up point, Lee checked to make sure she was en route toward the casino. If she skateboarded, she'd be able to make it there with at least ten minutes to spare before Tina's check-up. She really hoped nothing happened to make her miss the call, or goodbye freedom.

Possibly more, but Lee didn't want to think about that.

* * *

Lee looked nervously up at the building, which didn't look anything like she thought a casino would. There were no bright lights, or a showy label, but was that because it was daytime? It did have a nice, clean look, and the valet service told her that it was at least fairly high-end.

The redhead bit her lip as she looked around before cautiously walking into the lobby, her eyes searching for the Serpent, but she couldn't catch heads or tails of him anywhere. Had he played her? Was he messing with her again? Lee felt her face heat in embarrassment; here she'd come to tell him off, and he'd pulled some kind of joke on her.

"May we help you, young man?" One of the bouncers questioned.

Lee blinked, taking one more look around. "Uh, I'm supposed to be meeting someone here, but I guess he's a no-show."

"I highly doubt that-" The bouncer started, but then paused as he lifted a hand to his earpiece. "It seems the Serpent will see you now, follow me." He said and turned on his heel toward an elevator.

Lee blinked, slowly her eyes roved around again, but this time she searched for a security camera, and found one on the wall beside her. Her eyes widened as it gradually began to sink in that the Serpent didn't just have an _in_ with the owner, he _is_ the owner! _'How could I not have figured it out sooner? The ad should have tipped me off, but even such a clue wasn't conclusive enough._' Lee thought as she followed the bouncer, wondering just what she was getting into.

When she got to the top floor, Lee walked into the room decorated like it was both an office and a personal gym. '_What, does he live here too?'_ she thought, and when she heard the ding of the elevator leave, she tried to stare the man down, who returned her gaze coolly.

"Lee-"

"Ping." Lee corrected him coldly. "Only my friends and my family can call me that, and you are neither."

The Serpent tilted his head, like he wanted to challenge her on that assumption. "That's why I wanted you to come here, so we could remedy that."

"You don't know me." Lee said insistently. "You saved my life, and helped me out twice, so yeah, I am glad for that, but that's _it_. And I know nothing about you, not even your real name."

The Serpent grinned mockingly at her. "Only my friends and family may call me by my true name." he parroted and Lee couldn't help but roll her eyes, but what was she expecting?

If she wasn't going to budge, she honestly shouldn't expect him to.

"Well I didn't come here to get to know you," Lee said and boldly drew herself up to her full height, but it still wasn't that impressive as the man was taller than her, "I came here to tell you to back off." She said. "And-what's that hissing noise?" she questioned, but got distracting by a hissing near her feet, only to feel some slithering around one of her legs.

"Oh, that'd be Priscilla." The Serpent answered nonchalantly. "I wouldn't move, or she might bite."

Lee furrowed her brow, but as she looked down, she caught sight of a large snake curling around her leg. She became frozen in fear, her heart pounding in her ears as she tried to resist from shaking less the snake bite her. "How do I get out of this?"

The Serpent walked around his desk toward her, hands behind his back. "You listen." He said smirking.

Lee clenched her teeth tightly together, fists shaking as she wanted to lash out. Had he planned for the snake to come out in the open? Why else would he let it roam free? "It seems fitting that you'd have a snake, you _snake_." She spat.

The man grinned at her slyly once again. "What did you expect?"

Lee shut her eyes tightly, but as she felt the snake begin to crawl up her leg, she couldn't take it anymore. "_Fine_, just get this thing off me." She snapped, opening her eyes to glare at the man, who made no move to intervene. '_You have got to be-' "Please?"_

"That's better." The man replied and reached out to let the snake slither up his arms to settle around his neck, which Lee thought could not be safe.

Lee wrapped her arms around herself, trying to calm her erratic heartbeat, and focused it by glaring at the man beside her. "Don't even think about coming near me with that thing."

The Serpent smirked as he scratched the snake under the chin. "Why, scared?"

Lee gritted her teeth, and rushed to answer her phone as it rang out. But as soon as she got it out, the Serpent snatched it away just as quickly. "Hey, give that back!"

"Why, expecting an important call?" The man questioned.

"Yeah, my friend is supposed to call me to make sure I'm safe; she'll tell my parents if I don't pick up." Lee retorted.

The man raised a brow. "Your parents don't know you're here?" he 'tsk'ed at her again, but his smirk negated any reprimand it was supposed to represent. "Better not keep your friend waiting then." He said tossing the phone back at her.

Lee clicked on the call button and held it up to her ear. "I'm here."

"_Lee,"_ Tina said relieved, "_I was getting worried when the phone just kept ringing. How are things going?"_

"How are things going?" Lee repeated, but while she longed to tell Tina to just get her parents involved, the words wouldn't form. "Things are fine, we're just talking. He even showed me his pet."

"_Really? Oh good, I was beginning to freak that something had happened."_ Tina replied.

"Well, I'm fine, so just call again in about another half-hour." Lee said and ended the call. After putting her phone in her pocket, she heard the hissing by her ear and glanced over to see the snake was just on the other side of her head. Lee recoiled against the owner, and heard him giggle as she glared up at him.

"It seems she really likes you." He said.

Lee gritted her teeth. "And it seems like you really like messing with me." She retorted.

"And it also seems like we have another half-hour before you get another call." The Serpent retorted and just as quickly as he had snatched Lee's phone, he reached out and plucked one of Lee's red hairs.

She winced and felt the Serpent pet her hair where he'd taken the strand from, but it only served to freak her out more. "Stop that," she said and ducked out of his reach, "you're really creeping me out."

The Serpent blinked, looking surprised. "Really? I had thought you liked me."

Lee stared at him incredulously. "Where would you get that from? I came here to make you back off, remember? And we don't know each other!"

"Why do you keep saying that?" The Serpent questioned sounding bemused. "I still have twenty minutes though to get you to reconsider."

"I don't like you." Lee insisted.

"You're always blushing around me, it's rather endearing." The man said smirking and Lee flushed involuntarily. "Plus, you said you'd listen, remember?"

"You got that out of me under threat of snake bite." Lee retorted. "And last time I checked, keeping someone against their will was illegal."

"So was bringing you up here in the first place," the Serpent retorted smugly, "yet you didn't do a thing about it, did you?"

Lee gritted her teeth. _'That is so not fair, I didn't even _know_ that was illegal too.'_ She thought. "Yeah, well, you're being majorly creepy, so I think our deal is void." She said and made her way back to the elevator. "And I'm not kidding, come near me again and I'll call the cops on you."

"I understand." The Serpent said and he sighed. "Which is why I had hoped you wouldn't force me to do this."

Lee furrowed her brow, but just before the doors opened, she caught sight of a cloth in the Serpent's hands in the reflection of the doors. Her eyes widened as she felt him put it over her nose, and as she grappled to get his arm away, she felt her muscles weaken and her body grow lethargic as she blacked out.

* * *

Lee awoke with a gasp, her eyes looking around wildly, but to her immense relief and surprise, she found she was in her own room. How had she gotten here? Had it all just been a dream? Lee certainly hoped so as she reached into her pocket and took out her phone. She raised a brow at the number of messages she'd gotten from Tina, but her expression steadily grew worse with each one that rang out in her room.

"_Lee, you're parents said you were asleep, why didn't you pick up?"_

"_Are you okay? Did something happen?"_

"_Lee, why won't you pick up? I'll try again later."_

"_Lee, I'm being serious here; did something happen? Please, I just want to know if you're alright."_

Lee stopped listening after that, as the sensations of blacking out returned to her and she could still smell the chloroform clinging to her nose. She ran a hand through her hair and unsteadily made her way to the bathroom. Locking the door behind her, Lee began to inspect her clothing for any kind of damage or sign that it had been removed.

It came as more than a relief that there appeared to be no signs of damage, on her skin or on her clothing.

'_Why would he drug me? Did he really just do it to mess with me?_' she thought. '_He really likes doing it. And what was with that hair?'_ she thought rubbing the spot he'd taken the hair from. Still, whether or not he'd done anything to her, Lee couldn't stand the fact he'd actually touched her. Even her parents were rarely allowed to hug her.

'_That guy is a bigger creep than I thought.'_ Lee thought and made her way back to her room for a change of clothes and to alleviate Tina's fears. It still wouldn't alleviate Lee's own, but she could at least let her friend stop worrying about what happened.

"_Lee!"_ Tina said when Lee dialed her up. "_Are you okay? What happened? You're parents said you were asleep when I called, something about you getting in without alerting them."_

"Yeah," Lee said vaguely, wondering how she got back as well, "I'm…fine, actually. We talked, I told him to back off, and then I came home for a nap."

"_In this weather? How can you sleep?"_ Tina questioned.

"Oh, I manage alright." Lee replied, feeling like she was on momentary autopilot. "I just want to say I was sorry, and that I really want to make it up to you for freaking you out so much."

Tina's stubborn silence lasted a few minutes before she spoke. "_Well, since I kinda bailed on you, why don't we go to the movies tomorrow? Just the two of us? It'll help you get your mind off-what was his name again?"_

"It's not important." Lee assured her. "But I'd like that. I'll see you then if my parents are okay with it."

"'_Kay, bye Lee."_ Tina said and the line went dead.

Lee put her phone away and made her way downstairs to find her parents setting up for dinner. "Hi, can I go to the movies tomorrow?"

Sue looked at her in disbelief. "Didn't you just go today?"

"Actually, I spent all that time at the supermarket; it was hard to find some good produce." Lee explained. "Besides, both Tina and Cam had to bail because Tina had to babysit and Cam got grounded, so it's just going to be me and Tina going tomorrow."

Her mother's disapproval seemed too softened by this news. "Well, if that's all, I don't see why not. Just be sure to remember that you're father and I are going out tomorrow night."

"Right, got it." Lee replied.

Sue nodded, but then her features hardened and she crossed her arms. "Now, missy, care to explain why your friend was acting like you were _dead?_"

Lee blinked, blushing as she thought of something to say. "Well, I didn't want to alarm you guys, so I kinda slipped in and took a nap. I told her to call me when she got done her babysitting, but I guess I wasn't picking up."

"Was it because you got hurt riding that skateboard? You know sleep is bad when you have a concussion." Sue said with worried disapproval.

"Mom, I didn't get hurt, nor do I have a concussion." Lee explained reassuringly. She glanced around at the table. "What's for dinner?"

She hoped this would help her forget earlier today, or at least be a helpful distraction.

* * *

Lee saw Tina walking toward her and waved, causing her friend to wave back, despite the certain expression on her face. She still looked worried about the hasty phone call yesterday and wanted to see if she was alright in person. "Hey." She said and noticed Tina's eyes looking over her critically. "You see that I'm alright, right?"

Tina blinked and flushed. "Uh, yeah." She said and looked toward the poster board where the listings were. "So, what do you want to see?"

Lee gave the board a cursory glance. "I was thinking of that new Brick McSlam movie." She said and waited for Tina's verdict.

"Really?" she asked uneasily. "Why not a romance? Don't you just feel the need to cry sometimes?"

Lee stared at her oddly. Was this her idea of therapy? "Um, _no."_ she said and Tina blushed again.

"Oh, how about a romantic comedy then?" Tina suggested.

"What's with trying to get me so see these things? You know I like action movies." Lee replied.

"I just thought, since it's quiet and that we could talk…" Tina said trailing off.

"Don't you have to be quiet in a movie theatre?"

Lee froze. _'No, no, no, no!'_ she thought and looked over at the man who she was quickly thinking might be a stalker. Why would he have gotten so persistent in meeting her? Once was a coincidence, now it just seemed suspicious. "What are _you_ doing here? I thought I told you to back off?"

Tina's eyes widened as she pieced together who this man was as well. "This is the guy you met? He looks-"

"-like a creep? I know." Lee retorted, but Tina's grimace told her that wasn't quite what she meant. The redhead turned back to the man, who had the audacity to smirk at her, and scowled. "Seriously, what _are_ you doing here?"

"Why, I came to see you." He replied like it was obvious, and reached out to pull Lee into a hug, which left the redhead frozen in shock.

How _dare_ he?! Lee's shock melted into anger and she gripped his arms to pull herself back, but when she lifted her head to glare at him, he leaned down and kissed her.

Lee's eye twitched and she could see Tina flush and look away embarrassedly. Lee pulled herself away and glanced at Tina. "Uh, we'll see your romance movie, why don't you go buy the tickets?" she asked giving Tina a handful of money.

Tina looked over at the Serpent for a moment, and then back at Lee, a questioning look on her face, but nodded with uncertainty. "Sure, just come and find me." She said walking away.

Lee whirled around, a fierce snarl on her lips as her shoulders tensed. She wanted to clock him across the face for kissing her, for _touching_ her, but it would attract unwanted attention. "What do you think you're doing? I said I don't know you and you think this is okay?!"

For the first time since she'd met him, the Serpent looked completely bewildered. "But…you…and…" he trailed off, and an unnervingly calculated look appeared on his face. "Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"I know you drugged me," Lee hissed, "and then I woke up at my house." She said and realization crossed her face, causing her to take a step back, ready to bolt at a moment's notice. "You…_you_ took me home, didn't you? And you did something too, right?"

"Apparently it doesn't work if you're unconscious." He muttered and glanced around, giving Lee enough time to take off.

Though she realized that the Serpent knew where she lived, Lee still had to convince Tina that they needed to leave. "We have to go, I…I don't feel very good." She said once she reached Tina.

Tina blinked. "But I was just about to-"

"Forget the tickets, we'll have a movie marathon at your house, we just have to go." Lee said pulling Tina out of the line.

"Seriously, Lee, what's wrong?" Tina questioned and gasped, her eyes widening. "It was that guy, right? Didn't you say you wanted him to back off?"

"Well, let's just say he can't seem to understand the meaning of 'personal space.'" Lee retorted and looked around to make sure the Serpent was nowhere in sight. "I just really want to go home." She said honestly. "I'll tell my parents everything, even if it means I could get grounded for life."

"Yeah, like getting grounded is worse than being stalked." Tina said rolling her eyes, but then her features softened and she put her arm around Lee comfortingly. "Don't worry, your parents might be overprotective sometimes, but they care about you. They'll help you."

"I sure hope you're right." Lee replied and they both got onto the street car when it finally arrived.

* * *

Lee paced around the living room, forgetting too late that her parents were out to dinner and a show, and that she would be alone for a few hours. Biting her nails, Lee was at a loss for what she should do next and anxiously texted Tina to see if she wanted to have that marathon tonight while her parents were out.

If Tina suspected Lee was edgy about the Serpent thing, she didn't mention it in her reply.

Lee set up the DVD player and took out several movies that she and Tina could both enjoy, though probably not at the same time. The main point Lee was trying to get across was that she wasn't scared of the Serpent and that she definitely didn't want to be alone until her parents got back.

So what if she jumped when the doorbell rang? It didn't matter, and it certainly didn't fry what little nerves Lee still had left. "Hey, Tina, sorry I keep jumbling things up."

"You sure you're okay? You seem kinda…strung out." Tina said tentatively as she closed the door behind her.

"I...I just don't want to be alone right now." Lee whispered.

"We could go over to my house, my parents-"

"No parents, not yet." Lee said adamantly. "It has to be my parents I tell, and they haven't picked up their phones when I tried to call them."

"So what was the deal with that guy?" Tina asked as she settled in on the couch.

"Can we _not_ talk about him?" Lee begged. "_Please?"_

Seeing how frazzled Lee was, Tina decided to drop it for now. "So what do you want for dinner? Did your parents leave you any money?"

"No, they thought we'd be at the movies." Lee replied tightly.

"Oh. Uh, we could both chip in for pizza." Tina said hopefully. "Got any change?"

Lee smiled slightly as she nodded. "Yeah, I'll go order some. Anything special?"

"A normal night?" Tina asked sardonically.

Lee chuckled, the comment lightening up her grim mood somewhat, but she didn't reply. There was no need to jinx anything after all.

* * *

"Why did out of all things did you have to pick a horror movie next?" Lee questioned as she huddled up on the couch, the pizza box lying on the coffee table.

"I thought we could enjoy this." Tina said flushing, but jumped back on the couch as she covered her eyes.

The doorbell rang, and both Tina and Lee screamed. The redhead pressed mute, and shakily got to her feet and went to check on who'd arrived. Cautiously, she opened the door, but she couldn't make out that anyone one was there. Slamming the door shut, Lee scowled. "Tina, it's okay, it was just some ding-dong-ditcher." She said walking back into the living room.

Lee frowned as she saw Tina lying on the couch haphazardly and glanced at the clock. _'It's only 7, did she get tired from being scared?'_ she thought, but then noticed the card lying beside her friend. The redhead picked it up, her brow furrowing, but the message written on it made her blood run cold.

_Does your mother know?_

Lee knelt beside Tina, shaking her shoulder roughly to get her to wake up, but still her friend slept. "Tina? Can you hear me? Tina!" she said worriedly. Taking out her phone, Lee decided she'd waited long enough, and how her stupid choices were coming back to bite her by getting her friends involved.

Just as her fingers slid over the numbers, she felt a sharp prick in her neck which made her freeze up and dropped the phone as she was gently laid down on the floor. Her wide eyes took in the Taser in the Serpent's hand, and the phone in the other. She wanted to demand what he thought he was doing, but her mouth wouldn't open nor could she move at all.

The Serpent knelt down next to her, and he looked at Lee's features with an eerie intensity. It looked like he was studying her. "Your friend is fine," he began, "it's _you_ I needed awake." He added and frowned. "It's amazing, isn't it?" he asked, but Lee couldn't answer him. "Just how much you look like me."

'_Is he some kind of narcissist? Is _that_ why he began kissing me and acting like I was his girlfriend or something?'_ Lee thought.

"I should have ran you over, that day," the Serpent continued, "I had thought of making contact before, but I decided this was so much more fun."

'_And by contact, you mean _killing_ me?'_ Lee thought incredulously, but with the cryptic way he was speaking in, the redhead couldn't honestly figure out what he meant. Other than the obvious. _'You do like messing with me.'_

The Serpent's eyes trailed over to the fallen phone momentarily before he looked at her again with a nasty smirk. "Oh, and if you thought of telling _anyone_ about me, _especially_ your parents…" he trailed off and Lee wanted to recoil as he leaned down over her, and just like in front of the theatre, he kissed her like they were alone.

Unless an unconscious Tina still counted, they _were_ alone, and that just made Lee even more nervous.

A flash from his phone went off, and the Serpent pulled back smirking. He lifted the phone up to Lee's face, letting her get a good look at the two of them kissing, or rather, how it would look to anyone he showed it too. "Look at this, now what would your parents think if someone were too, I don't know, _send_ them this?"

Lee tried to glare at him, but apparently the paralysis wasn't even close to wearing off yet.

"Now, you might be thinking that a simple grounding would be preferably to never seeing me again, but let me tell you this," the Serpent said, his voice growing deadly serious as he leaned back down, his nose almost touching Lee's, "I know where you live, I will _find you_. No telling and I will leave you alone, for real this time."

Lee stared at him, not believing a word he was saying. Why should she believe him when he'd already lied to her?

"Yes, I know what you're thinking: how can you trust me?" The Serpent questioned and Lee thought of how creepily accurate he was. "Well, you _can't_, but you can trust me on one thing. I already got what I wanted from you, but I think I'll keep this just in case." He said winking and pocketed the phone with such incriminating evidence on it.

When he pulled out a cloth, Lee knew what was coming. What she did _not_ expect were his parting words and the wicked gleam in his eyes as he said it.

"Sweet dreams, _little sister."_

* * *

Lee tried not to rock as she lied curled on her bed, the words from earlier still echoing around in her head. Tina had left after they'd both awoken, taking the explanation that they'd just fallen asleep with a grain of salt. Lee's parents had returned some time ago, but she couldn't face them, not after this

It wasn't that she was going to accept the Serpent's words as fact, he was a snake after all, but it still unsettled her greatly. She couldn't even just go up to her parents and ask if she had an older brother, as _they'd_ ask where she even got the idea. Whether or not it was true, seeing a picture of her kissing a guy, who just might be her brother, would likely give them both a heart attack.

'_He did that on purpose._' Lee thought sullenly. '_That snake _wants_ me to ask them, to give him a reason to send that damn photo. If only I could get that picture away from him, then I'd be able to ask, or at least I'd take away his leverage for my silence._' She continued, as suddenly up and asking her parents if they could move was also out of the question.

Could she transfer to a new school this late? Maybe a nice, isolated boarding school where there were no boys allowed.

Lee's train of thought turned to something else, something that was stupid and could get her into much bigger trouble. Could she just go to the Hydra and steal it? _'That's not the best idea.'_ She thought. Not to mention the fact it was illegal to break and enter a building, he'd likely try and turn it around on _her_.

Besides, who was to say that wasn't what he wanted too? He had to know that saying such a phrase wouldn't make her want answers. If she couldn't get them out of her parents, why not the one who'd put the thought in her head? Lee curled into herself more tightly, wanting nothing more than anything to go back to the day when she'd met the Serpent for the first time.

She wanted to watch her step, insist that her hair get trimmed even shorter, just _something_ to delay that meeting. She wished she'd never met him at all, because now that she had, she'd have to watch her back from now on.

Why couldn't he _have_ just run her over? She was regretting that he didn't too.

**Epilogue:**

Lee leaned against her chair, feeling her face flush. It was still as hot as when she'd kissed Biff in detention. It was embarrassing and had likely just ruined what could have been a prospective friendship and might have incurred Biff's wrath if she'd stuck around. She couldn't help herself, he'd already shown he could be nice, as mean as he acted in public, and it began to wear down her defenses.

She'd never had such a stirring since…

Lee shook her, not even wanting to think of such a thing. It'd been almost two and a half weeks since the moniker 'Serpent' had even entered her mind. It wouldn't due to start thinking about him as she began to show interest in Biff; if that wasn't some kind of psychological metaphor waiting to happen, then she didn't know what was.

She didn't have time to think about some party at Brandy's house, who kept messing up her name with 'Leaping.' Sighing, Lee got up, wondering what she was going to eat for supper after her parents had gone out for the night to an opera. She wanted to keep her thoughts away from the Serpent, so she couldn't call or talk to Tina right now as her friend had still kept trying to wheedle out of her what exactly happened.

After this whole prank thing, Tina already thought Lee was keeping secrets and it made anything she said sound less than believable.

Lee ran a hand through her hair, her eyes straying to the blue blanket that Biff had put on her shoulders after she'd dressed up as a jock to search for clues. It made her blush when she thought about it, and the risk she'd taken today.

Her phone vibrated and Lee picked it up from the charger, her eyes widening as she took in the number. It was one she had used, but whom never texted her first. When she opened the message, any lingering doubt was gone when she saw the text.

_Hello, little sis. You've been a busy little mouse lately, haven't you?_

Lee blinked, feeling anger fight trepidation for dominance. _I'm not your sister. Don't call me that, and have you been following me? You said you'd leave me alone._

There wasn't a reply for a little while, and Lee was wondering if he'd gotten off the phone, but he'd sent her an attachment and her hope was dashed.

That was until horror crossed her face as she stared at the photo on her phone. It was of her kissing Biff in detention. How had he-had he actually _been there?_ Pulling her legs up to her chest, Lee hurled her phone away, but the message that appeared was seared into her mind that he'd tell if she ever pressed this. She could even picture his smug face as he sent it to her, that mocking voice ringing in her head.

_Does _our_ mother know? _

Even when he wasn't there, he was still able to torment her.


End file.
